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My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

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Blue Collar Service Business Rollup

For: Retiring blue collar business owners with no succession plan

Buildability

The Problem

Aging blue collar business owners are retiring without successors, and fewer young people entered trades over past 20 years, creating supply shortage of skilled services

The Solution

Acquire small blue collar businesses (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.) and roll them up with improved systems, technology, and customer retention processes

Why Now?

Perfect storm of retiring owners, labor shortage, and new generation discovering trades through social media. AI can't replace these hands-on services

Build MVP in 7 Days

Day 1

Identify 50 potential acquisition targets in your metro area

Day 2

Cold call 10 business owners about their succession plans

Day 3

Create simple acquisition criteria checklist

Day 4

Visit 3 businesses to understand operations

How to Validate

Survey business owners about retirement timeline
Check local permit data to see business volume trends
Interview young people about trade career interest
Analyze pricing and demand in target markets

Revenue Model

Acquire cash-flowing businesses, improve operations and customer retention, roll up for scale efficiencies, eventual exit

Competitive Moat

Local relationships, brand trust, skilled labor scarcity, high switching costs for customers

Risks to Consider

Key person dependency in acquired businessesIntegration challenges across different business culturesEconomic downturn reducing demandDifficulty finding and retaining skilled labor